The red cape’s a nice touch, isn’t it?
Not to be confused with the really quite dreadful Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, this is a bizarre and unsettling little film from South Korea. It isn’t a retelling of the classic fairy tale, although there are elements taken from that story.
It’s not made of gingerbread, but it is in the middle of the woods
This Hansel and Gretel follows a young man who, after becoming lost in the woods, is taken by a little girl to a house deep in the forest. There he meets her brother, sister and parents. He’s offered a bed for the night. The phone lines are down [groan]. He must wait for them to be fixed before he can call to get his car fixed and be on his way. I don’t want to say any more about the plot on the minute off-chance that you might ever watch this.
Why have one creepy kid in your horror film when you can have three?
Hansel and Gretel is very definitely a slow burner. But, with sumptuous, colourful sets and an intriguing story you might not mind. The kids are at once vulnerable and frightening, and this creates a sense of dread which builds gradually and leads to a somewhat predictable but relatively satisfying conclusion. Stylish and creepy is a hard combination to pull off but I think they managed it.
Adorable and scary – that’s skill
Score: 6.5/10
filmnerdblog 
Dear fn,
I’ll give this a watch if I can find it. I need to find Crazy Bitches first.
Love,
ei
Dear ei,
You should definitely look at Crazy Bitches first, I think it’s a bit more your cup of tea.
Love,
fn
Dear fn,
You got it, lady!
Love,
ei
The Koreans – like the Japanese – are very good at doing creepy, aren’t they? 😉
Oh my god, so good!
Have you seen Bedevilled or A Tale Of Two Sisters?
I saw ToTS yeeeeears ago but don’t remember much. Is Bedevilled worth watching?
Bedevilled is a slow building, gory horror with tragic undertones and the usual twist ending. I enjoyed it! 😉
Sounds spot on! I’ll check it out.
OMG Laura I love this film!!!!
*some light spoilers*
I bought it expecting a bit of creepy fun and then ended up really emotional by the end of the movie. I thought the kids backstory was so sad and it completely changed the spectrum of the film.
It WAS still creepy though! And it had a very strange atmosphere. I really like watching Korean horror films because they just do not fit the mould of western movies we’re used to.
Yesssss! Emma! Have you reviewed it? I really liked it. So unusual not to mention refreshing to see such an effort put into creating beautiful imagery and lush sets.
Yes it was certainly a beautiful film, I can remember all the deep colours!
I’ve not reviewed it no, I watched it ages ago before I even had a blog. I do have it on DVD though, so a re-watch (and review!) is very possible. I would find it hard reviewing it I think, without giving away spoilers. Great movie though 🙂